MAPPED: These dangerous countries have the highest terror risk in the world, according to data released by security specialists International SOS.

The US has previously carried out a number of drone strikes on the group that has targeted its leaders.

In 2011 a drone strike ordered by Barack Obama killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a well-known figure in the group who was known to convert people to its ideology.

Trump announced on Wednesday he believes “it is time to officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel".

The decision unravelled years of work to establish peace in the Middle East and sparked warnings from Hamas about possible uprisings against Israel.

Spontaneous protests broke out in the region following the move and despite the deployment of thousands of Israeli troops, there are few signs that tensions will subside quickly.

The Islamist group said Trump had “opened the gates of hell” with his “flagrant aggression” while Turkey strongly condemned the move.

Yesterday the US asked Israel to temper its response to the US recognition of Jerusalem as the country’s capital.

According to a document seen by Reuters on Wednesday, Washington’s State Department is weighing the potential threat to US facilities and people.

“While I recognise that you will publicly welcome this news, I ask that you restrain your official response,” the document dated December 6 said in talking points for diplomats at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to convey to Israeli officials.

“We expect there to be resistance to this news in the Middle East and around the world. We are still judging the impact this decision will have on US facilities and personnel overseas,” the document said.

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Anwar al-Awlaki was a well-known figure in the group who was known to convert people to its ideology

A second State Department document seen by Reuters, which was also dated December 6, said the agency had formed an internal task force “to track worldwide developments” following the US decision on Jerusalem.

A US official who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was standard to set up a task force “any time there is a concern about the safety and security of US government personnel or US citizens.”

The State Department had no immediate comment on either document.

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Yesterday the US asked Israel to temper its response to the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital

The status of Jerusalem, home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions, is one of the biggest obstacles to reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there.

Palestinians want the capital of an independent state of their own to be in the city's eastern sector, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move never recognised internationally.